Review on Capri Tools CP21050 21050 Puncher by Adrian Smart

At 1/3 the price of an official Roper Whitney genuine tool I think this tool will work. All of these types of punches share a common characteristic: a certain amount of free play or "gap" between the moving part of the punch and the hole in which it must slide. In order for the punch to be able to drill clean holes in thinner materials, there must be an absolute minimum distance between the punch tip and the tip holder. However, if the sliding stamp wobbles back and forth too much, the gap between the stamp tip and the seat must also be the same size. If there is no gap, the edge of the punch may get stuck in the edge of the receiving hole. When this happens, you probably won't realize it until you crank the crank and hear the sickening TRACK. Too late, you just broke that pair of one-size-fits-all hole punches. In my case, this stamp set was purchased to replace an older (but identical) version that had two sets of cracked stamps caused by general play. Purchasing a new and newly produced instrument showed a slight improvement in quality but not the quantitative improvement I was expecting. You see I have had to make several custom engine exhaust gaskets and the gasket material is a graphite composition with reinforcing wire mesh embedded in layers of soft graphite. A hole punch is the only practical tool that can drill clean holes in this material. Forget drilling with a knife or other cutting tools. Perforator. The wire mesh has a certain thickness. The punch gap must be smaller than the diameter of the wire in the mesh, otherwise critical shearing action is not required to accurately create a hole in the material. This kick didn't quite do the job I would have liked. Too much spacing in the piercing elements caused the wire mesh to partially cut, then left "hanging fumes" (remember the ones on the Florida voting machine?) on the back of the material. Fine-tipped pliers removed the tag stuck to the gasket, but I was hoping for better performance. Would a real Whitney Punch work better? I'll never know because I don't risk spending that much money on something that might have the same tolerances as this "budget" kick. Apart from that, its quality seems decent enough. Time will tell how well it works with "regular" sheet metal materials like metal and plastic.